Looking for high quality Chinese road frame for riding long hours on sh!t roads

[moodyedge]

Hello,

I'm a tallish rider (6'3") with a relatively long torso and shorter legs 87mm inseam.
I ride sportives on poor quality undulating country roads with steep climbs/descents.

My current bike is a Yoeleo R11 in 59cm with a 73° seat angle and 398mm reach.

Saddle height is approximately 780 mm above the BB with 95 mm of setback
I use a SQlab 612 13 cm saddle with a seat post providing approximately 20 mm offset. I run 20mm of spacers under a 100mm fsa smr ns stem which has a stack height of 33.5mm. 420mm bar with 70mm reach.

The R11 is not cutting it on my local roads, even with 32c tyres. The reach to the hoods is too long and the front end is likely too low to tolerate for long periods. The roads here are rough and constantly undulating with 25-30% climbs scattered in for good measure, so a 34c setup would likely help with the buzz. I'd also like a longer wheelbase than the r11 which is only 995. It's too skittish on these roads. 1010mm + will feel much more planted.

I'm planning to ride a sportive for the 3rd time in may 2027 and feel my current bike isn't cutting it and is causing me neck and shouler issues. With 112 miles and 11,000 ft of climbing. the aim is to try and do it this time in less than 8 hours. I have ridden road bikes for a couple of years but recently got back into it after about 11 months off, and whenever that happens my neck really suffers being in that forward position after around 2 hours. That time will extend as my body adapts but the reach I have feels too long.
 

Looked at the Carbon speed Vrt but with a 401mm reach and a 74 degree seat tube angle, I'm concerned it would tip too much weight forward onto my hands. I contacted them about this but didn't really get any definitive answers.  Their Gran Turismo frame is interesting but there isn't a lot of information/reviews on it. The information on the site is pretty vague at best. I'm also a little unsure about the long back end at 422mm.

Are there any potential candidates that spring to mind or anybody with a similar story?


Not a fan of the light carbon  LCR018-D, the shape looks a bit weird.

Cheers

[Sander2177]

New Lightcarbon LCR20D
Not much about but will be ready in a couple of months to purchase with a riser bar so less aggressive should be a good option.
However it’s not crazy light frame is being touted as 1000g and 35c tyres so like many bike maybe scope to go wider so 34-36mm width as measured tyres may work.

https://www.lightcarbon.com/category/downloads/1

There is also the new Tan Tan X68 will be cheaper. Not looking as light as the old X68 but they are  being conservative with tyre width 32c but there information also shows 35c but TBC or new less well know player LightCycling RF10 frame same in rear as Tan Tan X68 slightly different front end 35c and 54cm frame 850g and fork is 380g.

Or if you want wider tyres  maybe the nee Lightcarbon LCG072D again I looked at this looks excellent could be a good all road option

[moodyedge]

I had a look at each if them and they all seem low at the front or long reaches in my size. This is the problem..most bikes are simply too long for the given size.

When the pros have shit positions too, there isn't much hope for the rest of us.

New Lightcarbon LCR20D
Not much about but will be ready in a couple of months to purchase with a riser bar so less aggressive should be a good option.
However it’s not crazy light frame is being touted as 1000g and 35c tyres so like many bike maybe scope to go wider so 34-36mm width as measured tyres may work.

https://www.lightcarbon.com/category/downloads/1

There is also the new Tan Tan X68 will be cheaper. Not looking as light as the old X68 but they are  being conservative with tyre width 32c but there information also shows 35c but TBC or new less well know player LightCycling RF10 frame same in rear as Tan Tan X68 slightly different front end 35c and 54cm frame 850g and fork is 380g.

Or if you want wider tyres  maybe the nee Lightcarbon LCG072D again I looked at this looks excellent could be a good all road option

[Chupacabra]

LightCarbon LCR018-D should be better, imo. It is endurance + aero + allroad with 38 mm tire clearance. There is topic about this frame.

[gribs]

I've just built up a XMCS gran turismo frameset that I picked up second hand from Hambini and I'm impressed. It built up really easily and from a quick 50km ride this morning it feels really smooth and comfortable compared to my Light Carbon LCR017, which in turn was an improvement on my old Ribble. I did the Fred on the LCR017 and friends at the end were surprised how relaxed and un knackered I was.

[moodyedge]

Helloooo hambini fans 

Unknackered after the Fred!? I've wanted to quit biking, both times. How the hell a 3rd attempt makes sense I will never know.


Yeah, the more I've looked the more sense the GT makes, it's very similar geo to the pinarello x which seems to be regarded as a true endurance bike. I think bigger tyres will make a huge difference on these awful roads.

How does the 422mm rear end feel? Assuming your previous bike had a shorter back end. Started on my Dads ribble sportive racing in 2022 and that has something like 1009mm wheelbase and it felt far more stable than the r11 with 995mm. It feels like some sort of medieval torture device around here, granted I've been off it quite a while but I don't want to go through the pain of getting used to it all over again each time I have a spell off. It's served me pretty well in the 2.5 years I've had it. 2 Freds and 4 lakeland loops or so.

[gribs]

I'd trained well for it but the weather was perfect and I tried to ride as much of it in zone 2 as possible. Having a grx chainset and 11-42 cassette fitted helped too along with not really aiming for a time, just to get round.

It's only 12mm longer than my Light Carbon so in all honesty just feels like a road bike in that regard. I swap between multiple mtb's and a gravel bike so I'm used to much greater variance. The biggest compliment I can pay it is that it felt stable when I wasn't paying attention but steered quickly when I needed it. The front end seems much stiffer than the Light Carbon but more comfortable. I'm using 32mm GP5000's on both with deeper rims on the XMCS.

[moodyedge]

I'd trained well for it but the weather was perfect and I tried to ride as much of it in zone 2 as possible. Having a grx chainset and 11-42 cassette fitted helped too along with not really aiming for a time, just to get round.

It's only 12mm longer than my Light Carbon so in all honesty just feels like a road bike in that regard. I swap between multiple mtb's and a gravel bike so I'm used to much greater variance. The biggest compliment I can pay it is that it felt stable when I wasn't paying attention but steered quickly when I needed it. The front end seems much stiffer than the Light Carbon but more comfortable. I'm using 32mm GP5000's on both with deeper rims on the XMCS.

I didn't train enough both times but have started now assuming I get a spot. I got one fore this year but was injured so had to pull out.  The plan was to get back into is this summer and do the lakeland loop route again but that didn't happen. Motivation can be hard to come by.

Whether or not it can be sustained until may next year is another thing. Will quite likely go off it and stop riding again over winter.

[gribs]

I've found the best way to keep riding over winter is a smart trainer. It's easy enough to say to yourself you'll do 45 minutes of zone 2 in an evening, and do more when you can be bothered. Even 30 minutes is helpful if it's regular. it's not hard enough to have any real fatigue impact so I could still fit in real riding whenever I had the chance.